Therapeutic Exercise Device

ABSTRACT

A therapeutic exercise support system for patients helps stabilize a body area, such as a neck, lower back or knee, during exercise. The systems and methods include a first body formed of a compressible material, the body having a substantially rounded support surface, a base surface and a cavity formed therein, the cavity being accessible from a surface of the body. The open cavity allows the density of the first body to be raised to suit different needs. Additionally, at least one insertable second body formed of a compressible material and formed to fit within the cavity of the first body, as well as at least one elevating panel formed of a compressible material having a density and attachable to the base surface of the first body to thereby raise a height of the rounded support surface of the first body from a base structure, may be included.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the filing priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/702,380, to Chang Jun Yu, titled “Therapeutic Neck Exercise Pillow” and filed on Sep. 18, 2012. The '380 application is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present device relates to supports, and particularly exercise supports. More specifically, the device relates to a customizable therapeutic exercise support device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Physical therapy is a well-established branch of medicine and has developed as a useful means for helping people with specific physical issues function at a higher level. A physical therapist works with a patient using specifically prescribed exercises to, among other things, improve range of motion, reduce pain and swelling, and strengthen muscles.

Often during such exercises, it is important to properly support certain of the patients appendages. For this, the therapist has numerous pillows, pads, and the like. However, when it comes to supporting a patient's body, such as the head and neck, one-size certainly does not fit all. In fact, when it comes to supporting the most vital appendage of the human body, many factors, such as contour, density and hardness, vary significantly by patient. This is true for lower back support and knee support as well.

A support device is needed that better facilitates exercise by individuals with flexibility and/or medical issues of the type described above. Ideally, the improved support device would be inherently stable and decrease the pressure felt by the individual by providing a larger contact area or interface between the device and the individual during exercise. It would be desirable to have a system which could be adjusted as to height and density to fit each individual's unique body and support needs. Such a device and the method for using it, would have therapeutic benefits to patients. Chiropractors, physiatrists, orthopedists and physical therapists would especially find the device and methods to be very useful in patient care.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein an improved therapeutic exercise support system for patients to help stabilize a body area, such as a neck, lower back or knee, during rehabilitating or strengthening exercises. The disclosed system and methods avoid the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.

Generally speaking, the exercise support device comprises a first body formed of a compressible material having a density, the body having a substantially rounded support surface, a base surface and a cavity formed therein, the cavity being accessible from a surface of the body. In use the open cavity allow the overall density of the first body to be raised to suit different needs.

In an embodiment, the first body is paired with at least one insertable second body formed of a compressible material having a density and formed to fit within the cavity of the first body. The placement of the insertable second body increases the overall density of the first body. Preferably, the at least one insertable second body comprises at least three separately insertable second bodies formed of compressible material and each having a different density. The insertable second bodies may be coded, according to density, to facilitate selection of the proper density each use. This coding may be one of either a different alphanumeric display on each body or a different color on each body.

In another embodiment, the first body may be paired with at least one elevating panel formed of a compressible material having a density and attachable to the base surface of the first body to thereby raise a height of the rounded support surface of the first body from a base structure. The at least one elevating panel preferably comprises at least three identical elevating panels. However, the at least one elevating panel may comprise at least three elevating panels of different densities and/or thicknesses.

In still another embodiment, both the insertable body and the elevating panel may be combined with the first body.

These and other aspects, embodiments, and advantages of the therapeutic system are disclosed in greater detail below. Such aspects, embodiments and advantages, explicitly stated and implied, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art from a reading of the disclosure in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present support system, including several elevating bodies;

FIG. 2 is various views of an embodiment of the first body of the present support system;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the first body of FIG. 1 and a cover;

FIGS. 4A-E are various views of an embodiment of the system utilizing a customized cover;

FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of a plurality of elevating third body devices;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present support system;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views of a base surface of the first body of FIG. 4, including an insertable body;

FIG. 9 is perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4 showing the insertable body secured within the first body; and

FIGS. 10A-K are a collection of diagrams illustrating possible configurations of the present support system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated.

As shown in the multiple images of FIGS. 10A through 10K, one use of the pillow is to support neck curvature. Maintaining a healthy cervical curvature becomes more important as one gets older.

The degeneration of neck curvature occurs more from front to back of the cervical spine compared to the side. Current pillows are made to support the C-curvature of the user's neck while they sleep on their backs, and to maintain the straight alignment of the neck on their side.

However, some users sleep on their stomach and cannot change their sleeping posture due to habit. Therefore, other pillows can become useless for stomach sleepers.

The pillow disclosed herein can be beneficial for users who sleep on their back, side and stomach because it allows for them to receive proper neck support to help them maintain their healthy, C-curvature.

The disclosed support systems are designed to maintain the cervical spine for users who have different stages of degeneration. This is made possible by controlling the height of the support surface through attachable supporting panels under the head part. The pillow disclosed herein can be used for neck strengthening exercises while properly supporting their neck curvature. Exercises are done with the user laying on a base, such as a table, bed or floor, to stabilize the upper trunk which omits the compensation of upper trunk muscles.

Stabilizing the upper trunk allows for a more focused exercise of the neck, or other body area, without the necessity of using the upper trunk muscles.

While the figures and descriptions are almost exclusively directed to a neck exercise device, it should be understood that the device is also suitable for support during exercise of other body parts, including the lower back and knees. Those skilled in the art would fully understand the applicability of the systems to these additional uses from the disclosure provided herein.

Referring to FIGS. 1-10, there is illustrated two embodiments of the exercise support system, generally referenced herein by the number 10. The first support system 10 is comprised of two distinct bodies, a first body 12 and at least one elevating panel 14. The second support device system 110 adds a third component, an insertable body portion 16 to allow adjustments to the support. Together these two and three body systems, 10 and 110, are capable of multiple configurations, as will be explained in greater detail below.

With respect to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5, a system 10 for supporting a user's neck (or other body area) during exercise is illustrated. The first body 12 preferably has a truncated hemispherical cylinder shape and is comprised of a foamed material, such as a polyurethane. The material used to form the first body 12 should have a consistent density throughout. The first body 12 has a contoured contact surface 20 and a flat bottom or base surface 22. As shown, the bottom or base surface 22 of the first body 12 includes a cavity, orifice or depression 24 that is constructed and arranged to make the first body 12 more pliable or less stiff as a user puts his or her neck on the pillow comfortably. That is, as a user adds weight to the pillow, the general shape of the space in the cavity 24 will change as the pillow is compressed, and the cavity 24 fills with the upper portion 26. Preferably, the cavity 24 is centered at the base surface 22 and has a depth to the approximate center mass of the first body 12. However, other locations of the cavity 12 may be possible to produce similar results.

As to the elevating panels 14, these “bodies” are used to elevate the first body 12 into a sufficiently supportive configuration. A plurality of elevating panels 14 having substantially identical thicknesses are preferably used to allow incremental increases of the height of the first body 12. For example, if each elevating panel 14 is only one-inch thick, a total of four panels would be necessary to allow the first body 12 to be raised to four inches by one inch increments, i.e., one-inch elevated, two-inches elevated, three-inches elevated, and four-inches elevated. However, panels of differing thicknesses (not shown) may be used as well. For example, providing just three panels, i.e., a one-inch panel, a two-inch panel, and a three-inch panel, would allow the first body 12 to be raised one-inch, two-inches, three-inches, four-inches (1″+3″ panels), five-inches (2″+3″ panels) or even six-inches (1″+2″+3″ panels).

Further, the elevating panels 14 are also preferably made of a polyurethane foam, but may be constructed of other suitable materials. The elevating panels 14 are preferably rectangular, which is useful for supporting a patient's head, neck or knee. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the elevating portions may be semi-elliptical for use in supporting a patient's lower back during exercise.

A second embodiment of the system 110 is illustrated in FIGS. 6-9. In this embodiment, system 110 includes the first body 112 and the elevating panels 114, but also includes insertable body portions 16. As a means for adjusting the overall density of the first body 112, the user can add the insertable body portions 16 into the cavity 124 of the head portion. The insertable portions 16 are designed to fit snuggly into the cavity 124. Preferably, the insertable portion 16 will generally be tubular, cylindrical or have a shape which allows it to fit snuggly in the defined cavity 124. Insertable portions 16 are preferably made of polyurethane foam, or other similar material. In an embodiment of the inventive system 10, there are a plurality of insertable portions 16, each having a different density. Such a system 10 allows multiple adjustments to the overall density of the first body 12 by adding one of the various insertable body portions 16 into the cavity 124. Further, to allow quick identification of the different insertable portions 16, each may be coded, by a color (e.g., red, orange, green, yellow), a number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, . . . ), a letter (e.g., A, B, C, . . . ), or a similar identifiers which might represent various degrees of increasing density or hardness.

In other variations of the disclosed embodiments, the first body 12 (or 112) may be made using vinyl or other fabric that is filled with buckwheat or other similar materials. Preferred embodiments made using a fabric filled with particulate materials would still contain a cavity 24 in the base surface 22 of the first body 12.

Additionally, embodiments may also include a cover 30 for the first body 12 (or 112). The cover 30 may be made from vinyl or various types of fabric to keep the first body 12 clean and in place. The cover 30, if used, may be fastened around the first body 12 using any known means, including hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro® brand products), magnets, zippers or snap fasteners. Use of fasteners will help keep the contents within the pillow in place. The cover 30 can be bound tightly or loosely, depending on a user's neck size for example. If the user has a shorter neck, the fastener of the cover 30 may be tightly fastened to compress and reduce the size of the first body 12 within it. If the user has a longer neck, the fastener can be loosely fastened so that it does not compress the first body 12 as much. In some embodiments, the first body 12 may be spray coated with a vinyl based coating to serve as a cover.

As for the height adjustment or elevating panels 14, the system 10 should include at least one or more to increase the ability for use on several different patients or body areas. The panels 14 may be made from the same material as the head portion, or other materials can be substituted to increase or decrease rigidity. In some embodiments, the elevating panels 14 may be fastened to the first body 12 and to other panels 14 using hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro® brand products), although other means known in the art, such as snap fasteners, may be used. The elevating panels 14 may also be fastened to the first body 12 and other panels using magnets to make it easier to align the components. Magnets can be adhered to the panels 14 and first body 12, as needed.

Much like the first body 12, the elevating panels 14 may have a vinyl cover, or other various type of fabric cover to ensure that the magnets will stay in place.

The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An exercise support device comprising: a first body formed of a compressible material having a density, the body having a substantially rounded support surface, a base surface and a cavity formed therein, the cavity being accessible from a surface of the body; and at least one insertable second body formed of a compressible material having a density and formed to fit within the cavity of the first body; wherein the insertable second body increases an overall density of the first body when inserted into the cavity.
 2. The exercise support device of claim 1, wherein the at least one insertable second body comprises at least three separately insertable second bodies formed of compressible material and each having a different density.
 3. The exercise support device of claim 2, wherein the insertable second bodies are coded by density.
 4. The exercise support device of claim 3, wherein the coding is one of either a different alphanumeric display on each body or a different color on each body.
 5. The exercise support device of claim 1, wherein the compressible material of the first body is different than the compressible material of the second body.
 6. The exercise support device of claim 1, further comprising at least one elevating panel formed of a compressible material having a density and attachable to the base surface of the first body to thereby raise a height of the rounded support surface of the first body from a base structure.
 7. The exercise support device of claim 6, wherein the at least one elevating panel comprises at least three identical elevating panels.
 8. The exercise support device of claim 6, wherein the at least one elevating panel comprises at least three elevating panels of different densities.
 9. The exercise support device of claim 6, wherein the at least one elevating panel comprises at least three elevating panels of different thicknesses.
 10. The exercise support device of claim 1, further comprising a cover for the first body section.
 11. The exercise support device of claim 6, wherein the elevating panel attaches to the base surface of the first body by at least one of the fasteners selected from the group consisting of hook and loop material, snaps, zipper, and drawstring.
 12. A therapeutic exercise support system comprising: a first body formed of a compressible material having a density, the body having a substantially rounded support surface, a base surface for engaging a base and a cavity formed within the first body, the cavity being accessible from a surface of the body; at least one insertable second body formed of a compressible material having a density and formed to fit within the cavity of the first body; and an elevating panel formed of a compressible material having a density and attachable to the base surface of the first body to thereby raise a height of the rounded support surface of the first body above the base; wherein the insertable second body increases an overall density of the first body when inserted into the cavity.
 13. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 12, wherein the elevating panel comprises a plurality of separate stackable bodies.
 14. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 12, wherein the at least one insertable second body comprises at least three separately insertable second bodies formed of compressible material and each having a different density.
 15. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 14, wherein the insertable second bodies are coded by density.
 16. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 15, wherein the coding is one of either a different alphanumeric display on each body or a different color on each body.
 17. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 12, wherein the compressible material of the first body is different than the compressible material of the at least one insertable second body.
 18. A therapeutic exercise support system comprising: a first body formed of a compressible material having a density, the body having a substantially rounded support surface, a base surface for engaging a base and a cavity formed within the first body, the cavity being accessible from a surface of the body; and an elevating panel formed of a compressible material having a density and attachable to the base surface of the first body to thereby raise a height of the rounded support surface of the first body above the base; wherein the cavity reduces an overall density of the first body.
 19. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 18, wherein the elevating panel comprises a plurality of separate stackable bodies.
 20. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 18, further comprising at least one insertable second body formed of a compressible material having a density and formed to fit within the cavity of the first body.
 21. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 20, wherein the at least one insertable second body comprises at least three separately insertable second bodies formed of compressible material and each having a different density.
 22. The therapeutic exercise support system of claim 21, wherein the insertable second bodies are coded by density. 